Party Animals

The pet care industry is rapidly transforming as animals are becoming a greater source of emotional fulfilment for city dwellers today. Erika Kleinmann of Piper’s Pet Bakery whips up a personalised pumpkin peanut butter cake for graphic designer Ashna Mistry’s Shih Tzu, Zoie Mistry – while Zaral Shah notes the emerging shifts and growing demand for new food products in this niche market

- SHWETA NAVANDAR

In my family, we always baked our own birthday cakes. My mom was talented in making our cakes look amazing every single year. So when I adopted Piper Cub [her four-year-old Labrador], I started baking for his birthday as well….” says Erika Kleinmann, talking about what led to her founding Piper’s Pet Bakery and how baking has been passed down in her family.

Pet care, like in Kleinmann’s case, is now family tradition. Through the years, as I’ve seen people go from adopting pets for safety and security to seeking a greater bond of friendship and emotional companionship from them — the pet food care industry has also undergone an apparent gradual change. From earlier providing only kitchen leftovers, then later varieties of packaged foods, we now see pet parents ordering mindfully-baked customised treats. And, as many veterinarians would attest, there are a lot more resources in the market. Most animal owners will also tell you that their pets are like friends or family, and that their well-being and nutritional requirements are as important to them as those of the humans they live with.